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- B. Sectoral and Institutional Context
The Gambia is a low-income country with an estimated population of about 2 million people (2015) and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (Atlas method) of US$430 (2016). It is a small open economy that relies primarily on tourism, agriculture, and remittance inflows, and is vulnerable to external shocks, as illustrated by the 2014/15 Ebola virus disease crisis and the delayed rainy season, which led to a poor harvest in 2014. From 2010 through 2015, the real gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaged 3.1 percent. In 2016 and early 2017 the macroeconomic situation deteriorated, due to an over-valued exchange rate and a rapidly increasing government domestic debt burden, with total debt over 100 percent of GDP by end 2016, and foreign exchange resources exhausted. The uncertainty in early 2017 around the change of government exacerbated these challenges. However, the new government, led by President Adama Barrow, has now adopted a revised 2017 budget, which seeks to begin the process of tackling fiscal imbalances. The World Bank Group provided US$56 million through an emergency development policy operation (DPO - June 2017) to support this effort. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also agreed access under their Rapid Credit Facility, and other partners are expected to provide similar support. This support is expected to buy the government some breathing space to implement much needed reforms to provide a clear pathway to debt sustainability and macroeconomic balance. The key long-term development challenges that The Gambia faces are related to its undiversified economy, small internal market, lack of skills necessary to build effective institutions, high population growth, lack of private sector job creation, and high rate of out-migration. Resilience to external shocks, such as volatile weather conditions and the effects of climate change, need to be strengthened through (a) diversification of the economy and an improved private sector investment climate; (b) effective civil service reform and improved public management capacity geared toward enhanced service delivery and conditions to support long-term growth and employment; and (c) improved transparency and accountability in public affairs and increased citizen participation. In recent years, fiscal strains have mounted substantially because of fiscal slippages and poor performance of state-owned enterprises that have led to a significant buildup of public sector debt. The fiscal deficit averaged 11 percent as a share of GDP from 2013 through 2015, contributing to a rise in public sector debt to 108 percent of GDP in 2015 from 83.3 percent in 2013. Heavy reliance on costly domestic markets has contributed to rising debt. Interest payments increased from 25 percent of revenues in 2013 to 40 percent in 2015 and reached nearly 50 percent in 2016. Contingent liabilities that reached five percent of GDP in 2014 are also a contributing factor. Human development indicators remain low, but have progressed in the last 20 years. The Gambia ranks 173 out of 188 countries in the world in human development according to the United Nations’ Human Development Index (2015). However, between 1990 and 2015 The Gambia has made steady progress in key human development indicators. For example, life expectancy at birth increased by 8.4 years, mean years of schooling increased by 2.1 years, and expected years of school increased by 3.8 years.
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST) manage the public education system. MoBSE operations are partially decentralized across its six Regional Education Directorates (REDs), which facilitate operational and management issues at the regional levels, whereas financial management remains largely centralized. MoHERST, on the other hand, is centralized at all levels of education. The two Ministries together have developed the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2016-2030 which outlines the sectors’ strategies, targets, and priority areas to ensure consistency across all levels of education. The ESSP, which forms an integral part of the broader government Vision 2020, articulates the implementation and policy priorities for MoBSE and MoHERST, discusses sector-wide issues in education and training, and the linkages between the two ministries on cross cutting activities such as teacher training, and post-basic technical vocational education and training. The ESSP 2016-2030 is a revision of the ESSP 2014-2022 which marked a shift from programs based mainly on cycles of education to a more results-oriented program with emphasis on implementable interventions in priority areas. The ESSP 2014-2022 was revised to take into account the shifting financial realities in the country and to strategically inform the Vision 2020 under new government leadership. The Gambia’s current formal education system follows an ECD-6-3-3-4 structure of early childhood development (ECD) covering ages 3-6, six years of Lower Basic Education (LBE) which officially begins at age 7, followed by three years of Upper Basic Education (UBE). Together, ECD, LBE, and UBE cover grades 0-9 and constitute the basic education level. This is followed by three years of Senior Secondary education and four years of tertiary or higher education. The Gambia has 978 conventional schools from LBS to SSS, two thirds of which are fully financed and managed by the government. An additional 10 percent are grant-aided schools which are typically former mission schools managed by school boards and financed by the government through a grant to the management body. The remaining 24 percent of private schools do not receive any government funding. In parallel there are 350 government recognized madrassas. These institutions provide the same curriculum as those of the public schools plus additional Islamic instruction and receive sub-grants from the government. Government and grant aided schools combined account for more than 70 percent of enrollment at each level. Private schools overall account for 10 percent of enrollment, but are more significant at senior secondary school (SSS) level, accounting for 19 percent of senior secondary enrollment. Madrassas, conversely, are more involved at the lower levels, and account for 19 percent of LBS enrollments. Government commitment to education in The Gambia has historically been strong, however total spending is comparatively low. Despite the strong commitment to the sector, total spending on all levels of education represented only 3.2 percent of GDP, compared with the recommended level of 4-6 percent and the 4.5 percent Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) average. However, education spending as a share of total public spending stands at 20.4 percent which is in the recommended range of 17-25 percent depending on the country’s situation. Education receives the highest share of the budget in the country but because the total public spending as a share of GDP is low (15 percent), education spending as a share of spending is also low. This is also one of the key reasons why the sector relies heavily on household and development partner contributions. Despite fiscal challenges, the sector has benefitted from a consistent and proactive management team during the past several years. This has been critical in addressing the demographic and socio-economic challenges listed above. The Government has made significant efforts to increase enrollment numbers in all levels of education despite the rapid population growth, and has been successful in reaching near full gender parity throughout basic education. They have made significant efforts to address quality challenges as well, and, for example, have made strides in incentive schemes to even teacher qualification and deployment, introduced a model to integrate public school curriculum into madrassas, and piloted technology informed teaching approaches, among others. However, despite these considerable efforts, the sector performance still faces numerous challenges, in terms of equity, access, and quality. The performance of the sector, and key challenges are outlined below. Progress has been made in Access and Equity, but many youth continue to be out-of-school and regional disparities persist. Enrollment has been increasing in The Gambia, however, the gross enrollment rate (GER) in UBS has remained stagnant. From 2010 to 2017 there was a 45 percent increase in LBS enrollment (from 228,015 to 329,828) with the GER increasing from 88.3 percent in 2010 to 108.6 percent in 2017, and a 25 percent increase in UBS enrollment (from 75,635 to 94,357) with GER stagnating at 66.2 percent in 2010 and 67.4 percent in 2017. As the enrollment has been increasing at the same pace as the population, the GER in UBS has stagnated. The primary completion rate (PCR) remained at 73.6 percent from 2010 to 2015 because of dropout rates coupled with population growth, although it increased to 78.7 percent in 2017.1 Although universal primary completion has not been achieved, gender parity has been met at all levels of education. The “traditional” gender disparities have been eliminated from ECD to senior secondary schools (SSS) and the gender parity rate is more than 100 percent at the preschool, primary and secondary levels of education. However, the post-secondary education level is still lagging at 69 percent in 2015. Girls register a higher GER and net enrollment rate (NER) at ECD, basic and secondary levels, as well as higher completion rates at lower and upper basic levels, while gender parity in completion rate at SSS has just been met in 2017. The MoBSE started to implement the Gender Equity Initiative in 2000 when the gender parity was an issue by: (i) revising textbooks in a gender sensitive manner; (ii) training teachers in gender responsive pedagogy; and (iii) conducting sensitization campaigns in communities with teachers, parents, and students to bring female students into schools. In addition, Mothers’ Clubs were created in 2001 to organize campaigns and advocacy on enrollment drive at community level and help in the provision of uniforms and books for needy children in schools. The Gambia has been successful in introducing an ECD program, with play-based curriculum, which provides valuable early years education for children ages 3-6, and enrollment rates have improved considerably from 21 percent in 2006 to 46 percent in 2016.2 However, despite the increase in provision, challenges in ensuring equitable access to early education and quality remain. In region 2 for example, the enrollment rate is 56 percent, while in region 5 the enrollment rate stands at 25 percent. Further, minimum standards, where they exist are not systematically operationalized, and teacher training of ECD teachers is limited. An impact evaluation conducted in 2014, on the effectiveness of the two types of public ECD programs (community-based and annexed), showed positive impacts on learning outcomes using the annexed based approach, rather than the community based approach, both of which are play-based. This points to design and implementation shortcomings in the community based approach which the government will redesign, given the necessity of community based approaches particularly in rural areas. Given the positive impacts of ECD on school readiness, and learning outcomes, the government is committed to expanding quality ECD programs within the country, as part of the ESSP under Program Area 1. Equity and Access “ECD students adequately prepared for teaching and learning,” which aims to focus not only expanding and monitoring access, but also quality inputs such as training and minimum standards. There are regional disparities in access to education as illustrated by variations in the GER. The MoBSE divides The Gambia into six administrative regions.3 Region 2 has the highest GER in preschools (48 percent) and in upper basic schools (79 percent) while Region 5, a remote region with limited education infrastructure, registers the lowest GER in both pre-primary education level (15 percent) and primary education (53 percent). Region 6 also registers low enrollment particularly at the preprimary level (23 percent) and upper basic level (31 percent) (figure 1). The government has been targeting interventions to mitigate socio-cultural and financial barriers that may impact enrollment and completion rates, yet the challenge persists and additional resources are needed to reduce regional inequalities.4 Although good data on special needs students is not available, support to these students is limited. The Gambia has a twin track approach to provision of access for students with special needs. The students who need very special facilities go to one of three special schools located in Banjul (for blind or visual impairment, hearing disabilities, and learning disabilities). As a matter of policy, students with more moderate special needs are accommodated in mainstream schools wherever possible, but specialized equipment (hearing aids, glasses, braille reading materials, lamps, wheelchairs) are rarely available5, nor is the provision of teacher training for adequate inclusion of special needs learners, both those with physical and learning disabilities. As part of the ESSP, the government has committed itself to inclusive education, and aims to enhance support to disabled students. The out-of-school incidence is high, at nearly 30 percent (IHS 2015). The availability of detailed analysis of equity in enrollment by district, which will allow for better targeting, shows that Region 5 not only has the highest incidence rate overall but also the 7 of the 10 districts with the lowest enrollment rates.6 There is also low enrollment in region 6. While the out of rate incidence is lower in regions 1 and 2, because they are mostly urban and have higher population density, absolute numbers remain high. Although the government has instituted a fee-free policy7 by providing sub grants to schools, the cost of education remains a barrier for the poor. The commitment of households to education has been increasing faster than public spending. On average, household spending on education as a share of their income increased from 1.5 percent in 2010 to 5.9 percent in 2015, whereas public spending as a share of GDP increased from 2.6 percent to 3.2 percent during the same time. Cost of schooling remains a significant burden for the poor, as out of pocket expenditures, e.g. food, uniforms, transportation, learning materials, reduce demand. For example, households from the poorest quintile spend about 98 percent of their income per capita on education, compared with 46 percent for the richest quintile. Development of a targeted cash transfer or incentive program could be effective in reducing the out-of-school incidence and encouraging on time enrollment. The cultural and religious barriers to formal school are also difficult to overcome and the integration of religious schools remain a key challenge. There are 350 madrassas that are recognized by the government, as mentioned above. Their certification and registration, following government curriculum with subsidized English teaching, has been important in attracting populations to the school system. The government also provides support to 17 majalis (Koranic centers), as part of the World Bank funded pilot program under the Results for Education and Development (READ) project, through an annual conditional cash transfer (CCT) on the condition that they teach literacy and numeracy to enrolled children, most of whom would not receive any form of formal schooling otherwise. The grants are typically used to purchase food, as a means toward stymying street begging, and have been found to have made some progress. An assessment was carried out in the Government in 2014 and another one is planned before project effectiveness to measure changes in numeracy and literacy outcomes over time using the Early Grade Reading Assessment/Early Grade Math Assessment (EGRA/EMGA). The Government has made tremendous efforts to reduce internal inefficiencies related to repetition but other key dimensions of internal efficiency related to delayed entry, survival and completion remain bottlenecks. For example, about 38 percent of children do not start school at the official school starting age (age 7), and the share of overage children in the last grade of primary reaches 72 percent. A broad range of evidence shows that children benefitting from quality early childhood development programs are more likely to enroll on time, and show higher levels of participation, achievement, and completion in education.8 Such expanded ECD access is an avenue towards much needed improvements in school readiness, access and completion. Quality remains the most significant challenge Learning outcomes are still a challenge. An EGRA assessment in 2007 revealed low reading scores and MoBSE has been conducting lower grade teacher training to improve literacy skills. More recent EGRA tests showed significant improvements in knowledge of letter sounds and word recognition, however reading comprehension is still low. The EGRA 2016 shows that on average in grade 1-3, students answered only one out of five reading comprehension questions correctly.9 Additionally, the National Assessment Test (NAT) is conducted semi-annually in grades 3 and 5 and annually in grade 8. The scores, although low, are showing slow improvements. For example, for grade five, NAT scores improved from 47 in English in 2012 to 51 in 2016, and 45 in mathematics in 2012 to 48 in 2016. A comprehensive curriculum update has not taken place recently, however modifications in the early grades have begun. In 2009, curriculum was audited and developed for non-core subjects for lower and upper basic schools, and on some core subjects for upper basic schools, and in 2014, The Gambia created a national early grade reading program called The Gambia Reads, building on experiences implementing various reading approaches, and the national languages strategy developed under the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative Project approved in 2009.10 It places a renewed emphasis on early grade reading and is a biliteracy program consisting of both national languages and English under the revised national language policy which champions a bilingual approach to early grade reading. Teacher Recruitment and Deployment. The number of teachers has grown rapidly in the last five years through sustained intervention from the Government to address shortages and increase enrollment of students – a critical step in expanding access. The increase has reduced the pupil to teacher ratio substantially, to 32:1 in basic education and 24:1 in secondary education, although there is some variation by region. Further, a combination of strategic stipends to teacher trainees, and hardship allowances to teachers who teach in designated hardship areas11 in regions 3-6 has equalized the deployment of qualified teachers throughout the country. Traditionally more remote regions have had higher PTRs and a lower proportion of qualified teachers, however, over the last decade, this situation has changed significantly. In every region, for example, over 95 percent of teachers are considered qualified (as measured by the government policy on teacher certification). Although these incentives have been effective, some challenges remain. In practice, the supply of teachers is not wholly based on demand and there is a disconnect between the supply of teacher trainees graduating from The Gambia College and the demand within the sector. In 2015 for example, the supply of teachers outpaced student enrollment. Further, the distribution of teachers and teacher trainees by region and level of education shows variation by region which suggests remaining challenges with deployment, even despite the increase in teachers. Upper level mathematics and science, where qualified teachers are in shorter supply are still difficult to recruit for. Better strategic planning, including stronger linkages with The Gambia College, and a holistic approach to teacher training and teacher management could help to both: (i) optimize resource utilization and (ii) improve instructional practice. A further refined teacher recruitment and deployment policy could help optimize resource utilization, especially given that teacher salaries consume the largest share of the education sector budget. At the same time, while pre-service and in-service teacher training has improved over the years in the Gambia, including the introduction of promising pilot approaches which focus on interactive teaching methods12, the teacher education activities are often delinked and lack an overall strategic framework and coherent set of policies. Systems have been strengthened, but can be even further improved for data driven decision making. Support over time to the development of an education management information system (EMIS), has led to improvements in teacher and student management as well as better targeting mechanisms. However, additional updates are necessary to make the data more reliable by further developing the EMIS. Teacher absenteeism is tracked, but up to date data on teacher qualifications has not consistently been so, and although learning assessments are carried out, additional work is necessary to enhance the use of learning outcomes to inform school based and centrally based decisions. Better monitoring and dissemination of results could help counter this, as could continuous implementation of national and regional assessments. Further, at the post-secondary level, data is limited and data collection is infrequent and The Gambia could benefit from regional benchmarking. 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